The Lesley University Threshold Program is a comprehensive, college-based, 2-4 year program for young adults with diverse learning challenges. Lesley is ideally located outside Harvard Square in Cambridge, MA, giving students access to public transportation, cultural events, and the benefits of a college town, while providing graduates with the perfect neighborhood to work in and call home.

Founded in 1982, Threshold has decades of experience supporting young adults with disabilities in achieving their goals. Most of our nearly 700 alumni continue to live in the Boston area, which provides an instant sense of community and connection for our students and their families.

Threshold’s curriculum teaches students the skills they need to live on their own, get and keep paid employment, and have active social lives. Students take classes, work in internships, live in dormitories, and participate in campus life. Threshold faculty and staff value our students’ success so much that we continue to offer supports after graduation through the Maren K. Hitz Alumni Center. Alumni services are person-centered, comprehensive, low or no cost, and are designed to promote maximum independence and life satisfaction.

Who We Are

The Alumni Center offers critical supports to graduates of the program in nearly all areas of life. Not only do we assist enrolled students in making the transition out of postsecondary education and into adult life, we can guide alumni through the many other transitions they face later on. Because we know our graduates so well, we can offer truly comprehensive services as they take on life’s challenges and pursue their goals.

The Alumni Center engages with the alumni community in many ways; organizing Sunday brunches, leading international trips, helping individuals find jobs, and much more. We offer programming and assistance in the areas of:

• Employment

• Continuing education

• Socialization

• Independent living

• Benefits and referrals

Perhaps most critically, Alumni can reach out for help on any topic, at any point in their lives, and receive assistance from a staff who knows them and cares about their well-being.

What We Do

How We StartedAlumni have always been informally supported by Threshold staff, but as the alumni population grew and their continuing connection to the program became more easily facilitated by social media, the increase in inquiries we received for supports began to outweigh our ability to keep up on an ad hoc basis. In 2010, an Advisory Council of alumni parents was created. This resulted in a formalized way for parents to express their concerns about the futures of their sons and daughters, and to make clear that ongoing connection to, and support from, Threshold was a priority for them. The Alumni Center was formally established in 2012 and immediately solicited the input of graduates through an open series of focus groups and online communication. Services offered by the Alumni Center continue to be based on the expressed needs and wishes of alumni, primarily, and their families. Three alumni now sit on the Advisory Council, ensuring the voice of graduates is heard in major program plans and decisions.

How We’re FundedAllegra C. Ford-Thomas FoundationVan Otterloo Foundation

Ways You Can Connect With UsWebsite: lesley.edu/threshold/Email: threshold@lesley.eduPhone: 617-349-8181

Twitter: @LesleyThresholdFacebook: facebook.com/threshold.lesley

Understand your local disability service system;

know what they offer, and what isn’t available. You

can fill the gaps with alumni supports

Ask alumni what they want and need. Check in with parents, as well. Utilize surveys, focus groups,

social media, and advisory groups.

Find out whether state and/or federal funding might

be available for alumni programming generally, or

for individuals to use for your programs

Think about the full lifespan-What will Alumni need right

after graduation? When they’re 40? When they’re

65?

Learn about your graduates. What were

their interests in school? What accommodations did

they use? How do they prefer to communicate?

Connect students to the alumni community early to ease their transition after

graduation. Know them on an individual basis before

they graduate

Value personal relationships with alumni; programs run by someone graduates are familiar with

will launch more easily. Have faculty, res staff, and

others help spread the word

In addition to foundation support, we are fortunate to have received incredible gifts from alumni and their families and friends. We owe special thanks to the Belodoff, Browne, Flaherty, Koch, Lewis, Sonneborn, Spencer, and Swan families, and the many others who support us.

While we are unable to receive funding from the Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission (VR), Medicaid, or the Massachusetts Department of Developmental Services, we would encourage other programs to connect with their state agencies to explore funding.

Hitz FoundationOhanian Family Foundation

Programming We Offer•1:1 employment support•Online and on-campus courses•Counseling•Insurance and benefits help•Drop-in support•Referrals (doctors, dentists, etc.)•Advocacy•Workshops in cooking & nutrition•Workshops in self-care

•Tutoring•Independent living advising•Social Security help•Brunches and dinners•Domestic and international trips•Volunteer opportunities•Fitness, basketball, & yoga •Trips to theater shows & musicals•So much more!

Know where your alumni come from, and where

they settle after graduation. Reach out to

organizations that can support them in their

communities